Summer heats up for golfer

July 26, 2013

Golfers only control their own score and leave the outcome to what the rest of the field shoots. On the rare occasion, golfers can dictate the target score and that's what Alex Schreckengost of Mineral Wells accomplished earlier this week.The 16-year-old golfer, who will be a junior this fall at Parkersburg South High School, carded a 2-under par 70 and earned medalist honors during a W.Va. Amateur qualifier at Greenhills Country Club in Ravenswood. The W.Va. Amateur Championships is scheduled for Aug. 5-8 at The Greenbrier.

"Any time you get a chance to play at The Greenbrier, that's awesome," said Schreckengost, who joined another local golfer in Spencer's Cam Moore at yesterday's Mid-Atlantic Junior Invitational. The invitational was conducted at Edgewood Country Club in Charleston and pitted eight of the best junior golfers in West Virginia against eight of the top juniors in Virginia and another eight from Maryland in a 36-hole competition.

Schreckengost has made tremendous strides since spending his Saturday mornings as a 6 and 7 year old playing in a junior league comprised of four holes at Oxbow Golf and Country Club. Since his parents didn't take the game up, he's also received assistance from his uncle (Edward Borkowski) and two cousins (Andrew and David Borkowski).

Baseball and basketball were his first loves as a student in middle school, but gradually golf became his favorite sport. The lefty didn't waste much time reaching the state level as a member of the South program, and last year he qualified as an individual in Class AAA.

Of course like any sport, golf has its ups and downs. And earlier this summer in a qualifier for the West Virginia Open, Schreckengost finished in a six-way tie for the final qualifying spot at the Golf Club of West Virginia. Schreckengost was eliminated early from the playoff. "I felt like I played good enough, so I didn't kick myself too bad," Schreckengost said.

During the Callaway Junior Tour's regular season, Schreckengost has had his moments while climbing up to ninth in the individual point standings. He finished second in his age group at both the Highland Springs and Locust Hill stops and tied for third at the Golf Club of West Virginia.

Perhaps the pinnacle of the summer occurred when he placed first in the 15-16 age group at the Junior Amateur and was informed about his invitation to compete in the Mid-Atlantic event.

"I feel like I have all the confidence in the world and that's a big factor in my game," Schreckengost said. "I've been able to control my nerves. I don't let the small things derail me."

His parents Edward and Marilyn, and even his 13-year-old sister Emily have accompanied Alex on his many adventures - including the five-hour excursion to Locust Hill in Charles Town. His mother is employed as a school nurse, so she sees a majority of her son's rounds. "The planning (for the Callaway Junior Tour) starts when the schedule is released in March," Alex Schreckengost said.